The Valencian PMR programme held a training visit of Madeiran expertises

The Generalitat's Valencian Plant Microreserves (PMR) programme held the last week a training visit of botanic expertises coming from the University of Madeira (Portugal), in order to know and get skills on PMR designation and management. Sónia Catanho and Rúben Paz, both belonging to the research team of Dr. Miguel Menezes de Sequeira, one of the most enthusiastic supporters of th PMRs, received information and training instructions from Drs. Simon Fos and Emilio Laguna, added by other Valencian expertises during the field excrusions. During the next months, Sónia and Rúben will finish the selection of a local network of PMR to be developed in Funchal (Madeira), where the urban development has generated a model of metapopulational, small patches of native vegetation, to be protected following the Valencian model.

Lupinus mariae-josephi has a new PMR in Valencia

The recently described new species Lupinus mariae-josephi, thought to be extinct in wild but finally re-discovered by the Generalitat Valenciana's botanist team by mid 2006, is nowadays more protected, a time the Valencian councilior of Environment (Conseller de Territorio y Vivienda) passed an Order to create a new Plant Microreserve named 'Lloma del Tramussar'. This one is the PMR nr 259 and it is compound of well-conserved steppes of Sparto Grass (Stipa tenacissima L.) and enclose the first re-discovered population of the Valencian lupin L. mariae-josephi. The PMR sizes 20 ha, and also encloses populations of several interesting endemic species like Urginea undulata subsp. caeculi.

The Valencian PMR nr 258 is already passed

A few minutes after we posted the former message, a new on the Valencian plant micro-reserves (PMR) arrived: the PMR 'Alt del Senabre', promoted by the municipality of Beniarrés (Province of Alicante) has been officially created, being published in the regional gazette of the Valencian Community. The rules can be consulted (in Spanish and Valencian languages) at https://www.docv.gva.es/portal/portal/2007/01/16/pdf/2006_14550.pdf *

*Orden de 30 de octubre de 2006, de la Conselleria de
Territorio y Vivienda, por la que se declara una microrreserva
vegetal en la provincia de Alicante. [2006/14550]
DOCV (Diari Oficial de la Comunitat Valenciana) nr 5.429, 16.01.2007, pp. 2233-2235.

Information on the Cretan microreserves

Some months ago, the LIFE-Mature CRETAPLANT to create a plant microreserves network in Western Creta opened its renewed website at http://cretaplant.biol.uoa.gr
This website offers complete information on the project, as well as a good set of pubications and presentations in PDF format. The section on 'News' is regularly updated. Don't forget to visit it and send us your opinions

New plant microreserves in Valencia, Spain

Through the order of 17th july 2006, 16 new plant microreserves (PMRs) have been legally protected in the Valencian Community. The sum of Valencian PMR achieves 257 protected sites, the most dense network of protected natural areas for wild plants.The complete text in Valencian and Spanish languages are available at http://www.gva.es/cidaj/pdf/5343.pdf

A global introduction to the PMR model can be found visiting http://es.geocities.com/microreserves